Intex - 15x42

[MinMan19]

Been reading as much as I can on here...have the pool, sand filter and SWG for the pool...leveling the ground currently to be sure its good to go.

From here on out, I am a little confused...sorry but this is first time I have a pool deeper than 8 inches at my place.

A. Once pool is built, I need to fill it, of course...we are on a shared well system. Are we OK to just fill or pre-test?

B. I need to go to pool store to get a) chemical test kit, b) pool filter sand and c) salt...anything else?

C. Once pool is full, I read that you need to pre-"chemicalize" the pool before letting the SWG take over? Is this correct and a necessary step or can you go right to SWG?

D. If I need to put chems in before SWG, what is the ratio in a pool of approx 3,800 gallons?

Thanks for any help you can offer an absolute beginner to the pool world...

 

[jblizzle]

Welcome to TFP!!!

A. Do you have metals in your well, if so, you might consider seeing if you can be metal-free water trucked in and save yourself the hassle. You may also not be able to fill very fast off the well. Certainly test before hand to see what your water is like.

B. Whoa!!! Do NOT go the the pool store to buy a test kit. Order one of the Recommended Test Kits online. You can buy solar salt MUCH cheaper at the hardware store and you may find the sand cheaper at the hardware store as well. You will need to add stabilizer, Walmart is a good value. And you should have some bleach on hand to maintain the FC levels until the SWG is up and running.

C. You can not turn the SWG on for 24 hours after you add the salt. Also until the CYA is in the pool, the FC will be lost very quickly to the sun and the SWG will not likely keep up. Use bleach for a few days.

D. Learn to use PoolMath to calculate your dosages.

How much Pool School have you read? Start with these:
ABCs of Water Chemistry
Recommended Pool Chemicals

 

[MinMan19]

Thanks a ton jblizzle...

So, I will order a kit online...and I will also go to Walmart/Hardware store to look for the sand/salt...

I did read Pool School...I am just confused on the steps/timing...fill pool, throw in salt (let sit for 24 hrs), throw in Bleach and CYA before turning on filter and SWG? And then after 24 hrs, let the SWG run and start testing levels?

 

[jblizzle]

- Start dissolving ~50ppm of CYA as soon as you can, put it in a sock in the skimmer or even tie it to a floaty while you are filling.
- Add 2ppm of FC with bleach as soon as you can. And continue to test and add FC as needed every few hours (you will lose a lot to the sun while the CYA dissolves). Brush it around if the pump is not on yet.
- Add the salt whenever you want ... while filling if you like.
- Get the equipment running, circulate for an hour and then test the everything except the CYA and salt to see what needs adjusted.
- A day after adding salt and circulating, you can start the SWG up and see if it will maintain FC (supplement with bleach).
- A week after adding the CYA, test and see what level you are at and add more to get to around 70ppm. As the CYA goes up, you may need to turn the SWG down.

 

[Isaac-1]

Just to clarify here, you still want pool sand or #20 silica sand, which you may find at the hardware store, you do no want construction or play sand however